TheGeckoTree

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Crested Gecko Caresheet

*** Disclaimer ; This care sheet was
written by TheGeckoTree is based on what has worked best for us regarding
feeding, health and husbandry. This care sheet should be viewed as
a guideline on how to take care of your animal, as there are numerous ways
to care for your pet that may work out best for you. If you have any
concerns regarding the health of your animal, always contact a qualified
reptile veterinarian***

Latin
name

Correlophus
ciliatus, formerly known as Rhacodactylus ciliatus. Commonly known as the
Crested Gecko, also known as the Eyelash Gecko. Crested Geckos originate fromNew Caledoniaand
surrounding islands, and were thought to be extinct until they were
re-discovered in 1994. Crested Geckos are semi-aboreal Geckos that require a
lot of foliage, vines, branches and climbing surfaces. If the Crested Gecko
drops its tail, it will not regenerate. However, a dropped tail does not lessen
the value of a Gecko. A Crested Gecko is still capable of breeding and leading
a long, healthy life.

15-20
years in captivity, however some of the original animals imported in 1994 are
still alive today. As our husbandry, care and diets we offer become more advanced,
there is potential for these animals to live longer.

Sexing

Males
have well pronounced hemi penile bulges, before these bulges develop they will
have 6-8 rows of pre-anal pores with black dimples in each of them. Females will
have a flat post anal area however; some of the females do develop “false”
pores and can be mistaken to be a probable male. If you are sexing a young
Crested that has not physically reached sexual maturity, using a loupe will aid
in seeing pores. However, this is not a guaranteed way to sex Cresteds and if
they are sexed this way, they should be labelled "probable
male/female" because "late bloomers" have been known to happen
and your probable female may turn out to be a male. The best way to guarantee
sex is to wait until the Gecko reaches appropriate age and weight, or wait to
see if a bulge develops. In my experience, at about 20 grams is when I have
been able to 100% confirm the sex of a Crested Gecko.

Feeding

We
recommend feeding a varied diet. Please do not expect to purchase a Crested
Gecko and only plan to feed it 1 flavour or Repashy or 1 flavour of Pangea for
the rest of their life. Crested Geckos are Frugivorous and Insectivores,
feeding mainly on Fruit mixtures and insects. In my experience, I find
that my geckos are attracted to larger prey items, and ignore the smaller ones
offered. It seems as though they enjoy eating crickets that almost seem
too large for them, but they chow them down without any problems.

The most
recommended thing to feed a Crested Gecko is Pangea Fruit Mix Complete or
Repashy Crested Gecko Diet. There are a variety of fruit flavours available
should you have a picky Gecko. The three diets I currently feed in
rotation are Repashy Crested Gecko Diet, (Original and Mango
Superblend), Pangea Fruit Mix Complete (All 5 flavours), and Black Panther
Zoological (All 3 diets). Other things that are safe to feed as a treat only are simply mashing
up/blending fresh fruit provided there is proper supplementation added, or
making a homemade fruit smoothie. Remember! Fruits high in citric acid such as
lemons and limes should never be given!

As for
insects, they can be fed calcium dusted crickets, wax worms, silk worms,
phoenix worms and small horned worms. Be careful with worm selection, as some
worms are high in fats and provide no nutritional value so said worms should be
used as a treat. When feeding crickets, I recommend dusting them with a product
called Repashy Calcium Plus ICB. This is an all in one supplement that contains
everything your geckos need. I have personally used this product for years and
have had great success with it.

Always
remember that variety is key in any animal diet, but so is balance. Make sure
that whatever product you decide to feed is nutritionally sound otherwise your
gecko will pay for it!

Baby food is one of the leading causes of Metabolic Bone Disease
in the Rhacodactylus/Correlophus genus. Baby food is not a healthy, complete or
balanced diet for your animal. It is high in sugar, and can be very addictive
for geckos. Baby food alone does not have the necessary proteins, fats, fibres,
calciums, vitamins, etc to form a healthy well rounded diet for your gecko.

Housing

**PLEASE
NOTE: WE HOUSE ALL OF OUR ANIMALS SEPARATELY AND DO NOT ADVOCATE CO-HOUSING.
THIS IS OUR PERSONAL PREFERENCE FOR OUR ANIMALS. **

Male
Crested Geckos should never be housed together. Males can be territorial, and
fighting can occur which can harm, and potentially kill your geckos. Females
can be housed together but they should be very close to the same size, and make
sure to add additional food dishes and have a lot of foliage and climbing
surfaces so they can escape each other and are not fighting for the same spots
in the cage. FEMALES CAN STILL FIGHT! Please
be aware of this! Err on the side of caution and house all animals separate
Although Crested Geckos are known to be very docile, you still must always keep
an eye out for any fighting, territorial behaviour, bullying and overall
behaviour that could be dangerous to other geckos being housed in the same
enclosure.

Temperatures

Cresteds
can withstand a wide range of temperatures as cool as 65 degrees
Fahrenheit(18C) at night time and as high as 80 degrees Fahrenheit (26C)
during the day time. However it is not recommended to keep them
consistently at such high temperatures of 80F(26C) , and such low temperatures
of 65F(18C), in my experiences they are best kept at room temperature around
72-78(22C-25C) and thrive and have a good appetite at this temperature range. It
is best not to exceed temperatures above 85F/29C for extended periods of time
because temperatures this high can be cause extreme stress, dehydration and can
be fatal. Temperature fluctuations are also to be expected. A temperature drop
overnight is completely normal, and mimics what happens naturally. Most people
worry when the temperatures cool down over night. Take the opportunity to look
up the daily forecast in New Caledonia and you will see night time drops to
17C/18C/19C are completely normal. As long as your night time temperatures are
not dropping below 65F/18C and your day time temperatures increase, this is
ideal.

Humidity

Crested
Geckos require moderate to high humidity, between 55-70%. If there are
problems with humidity it will lead to difficulty in shedding, and dehydration
if the humidity is too low. Humidity that is too high consistently can cause
skin infections, as well as respiratory infections. It is imperative that they
shed completely, especially around the toes and tail tip so there is
no build-up of excess skin because this can be painful for them and even result
in the loss of toes due to lack of blood flow. The best way to maintain proper
humidity is to mist twice a day. Do one heavy misting at night time, as this is
when they are the most active, and one lighter misting in the morning before
heading off to work/school. It is important that the enclosure dries out during
the day before the next misting. Too much humidity and moisture is can be just
as harmful as not enough. Depending on your home and climate, you may need to
mist or less.

Lighting

These
Geckos do not require any additional lighting because they are nocturnal.
However, if you feel the need to use a UVB light, or if you are using a live
planted enclosure it won’t hurt them, just ensure that the light doesn’t
produce too much heat and ensure the gecko is able to escape to an area in
their enclosure that is dark. Also ensure that there is ambient room lighting
in the room the Gecko is located in, in order to promote a proper photo-period.

Substrate

Crested
Geckos should be kept on paper towel/blue shop towels until they are at least
15 grams. Crested Geckos can be very clumsy hunters when they are young,
so having a dirt substrate can be a risk of impaction. Once they are larger, in
the 15-20 gram range, they can be switched over to a substrate like
eco-earth/coco-fibre. The substrate should be kept damp, not soaking wet,
Substrates to avoid are; Sand of ANY sort, bark chunks, "jungle
mix" as it has small and large bark chunks mixed in with coco-fibre/Eco-Earth
that the Gecko can accidentally ingest. Also avoid any dirt like
substrates that have fertilizers in them as fertilizer is toxic to Geckos.

Breeding

It is
best to wait until the Gecko is 2 years old before breeding in order
to make sure the female is ready age wise, health wise, weight wise and
supplement wise. A breeding Female Crested should weigh in at no less than
35-40 grams before even considering breeding and the male should weigh the same
amount to prevent the female from bullying or injuring the male. I personally
prefer my females to weigh 40 grams, and will not breed a female under 40
grams. A female will lay 2 eggs every clutch approximately every 4 to 6 weeks throughout
their breeding season. A female that is bred too early can suffer some extreme
consequences including becoming egg bound, and calcium crashing. If a female is
egg bound, a vet visit is required. If left untreated, a female will die.
Calcium crashing is when a female is not being fed a proper diet, therefore her
body does not have enough calcium to sustain herself and produce healthy eggs.
If a calcium crash is not caught in time, a female will die. If you are
considering breeding, please make sure that your female is in stellar health
before you even attempt to breed as breeding could risk the life of your Gecko
and these Geckos should be considered pets first and foremost before they are
considered a breeder.

Incubation

Incubation
for any species of Rhacodactylus and Correlophus is best done at room
temperature. Incubation temperatures of 68 degrees Fahrenheit up to 75 degrees
Fahrenheit work best. However, higher incubation temperatures may hatch babies
out sooner, but result in smaller hatchlings and the result could be high
mortality rates, or under developed hatchlings with smaller crests and weaker
head structure. In my experience so far, it is best to incubate at room
temperature, between 68F-72F. Eggs will take longer to incubate in cooler
temperatures, but will result in larger, healthier babies when it comes time to
hatch. The incubation medium that I use that has worked the best for me
is Repashy Superhatch/Pangea Hatch/Aquatic pond soil. My current incubation
time for Gargoyles is between 110-130 days.